YouTuber Retic over at Prehistoric Pets TV has a huge collection of pythons and other ancient creatures. Here he shows how and why a clutch of python eggs can be lifted up in giant sticky clumps.
For the tl;dw crowd, it’s so the mother can protect them from egg-snatching predators better, and to keep them from rolling away, and to keep them in the brood, because some pythons have evolved to warm their eggs by shavering as they squeeze the clutch. Via Arizona State University:
When you think of eggs, you probably picture a chicken egg, with an eggshell that is hard and easy to crack. However, like many reptiles, python eggs have shells that are soft and paper-like. When a python mom lays eggs, they are a little wet. Before they dry, she will gather all of her eggs into a ball shape.
As the eggs dry, they stick together and form a clump of eggs. Then, the python mom will actually coil or wrap her body around her eggs. This behavior is called egg brooding, and a female python will often brood her eggs for about two months until her young hatch.
Here are some of the little cuties hatching:
• Retic vs Ball Python Giveaway You Choose! (YouTube / prehistoricpetstv)